Sunday, March 5, 2023

Newsletter

Chapala Birders Newsletter, March 2, 2023
Sightings this Month

There were 188 species reported for the lake area in February. The complete list is shown at the end of this newsletter. Unusual sightings included:

  • Carl and Kate Anderson have seen Cedar Waxwing in Riberas del Pilar. We should be watching out for these this month.
  • Carlo Cuevas has once again seen Royal Tern at the Jocotepec shore. Other birders have observed Willet there also.
  • Nicola Cendron reported Rose-throated Becard and Black-capped Vireo on the Caracol Trail.
  • Hemit Thrush and White-throated Thrush were reported on the Chupinaya Trail from Las Trojes.

Kayaking Opportunity to see Birds Offshore

A member of the Lake Chapala Kayak Club is offering to take out birders, one or two at a time to go out to see, close up, the swallows and other bird species in the reeds along the lakeshore. This would be on a Saturday or Thursday with the club. Departure at 8.00am. You should bring water and water shoes as you step into 12 inches of water to get into the kayak. The club asks for a donation of $400 pesos per guest. Breakfast with the club afterwards at the Bonanza Restaurant. Contact Wayne Renz 376 766 1860.
Featured Bird: Lesser Goldfinch
A male Lesser Goldfinch of the "black-backed' morph which is more common here than in the U.S., as compared with the "green-backed' morph.
  • The Lesser Goldfinch is a small finch found as a resident in Mexico, the U.S. southwest, Central America and northern South America.
  • It comes in two 'morphs', a black-backed morph more common in Mexico,and a green-backed morph. The female has a dull olive-yellow color and no cap.
  • It flies in an undulating manner, flapping the wings several times, then gliding.
  • The call is a high-pitched 'tee-yee' or 'cheeoo'.
  • It feeds on very small seeds and is one of the very few song birds which feeds seeds to its chicks instead of insects.
  • It will nest twice in the early summer. The female builds the nest and sits the eggs while the male feeds the female and shares in feeding the chicks.
Upcoming Bird-walks and Trips
Our bird-walks are open to all those interested in birds, both beginners and experienced birders. Just bring binoculars. We always have knowledgeable birders on hand to identify the species. Note that we will try to limit most car trips to three vehicles and 14 people because larger convoys are hard to manage when trying to stop on country roads to look at the birds. If you are being given a ride, we suggest you make a contribution to your driver for gas and tolls (perhaps $150 pesos for a half day outing, $300 pesos for a day trip).

On Monday March 6, we will meet at 8.00 am at the Sculpture (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south-east corner, opposite Restaurant Pranzo) and will leave immediately for the Mezcala Mountain (30 minutes drive). High-clearance vehicles are needed for the road up. We will park and walk the one-mile trail at the top. After a snack break at 11.00 we will return to Ajijic for 12.30. Other pick-up points can be arranged between Ajijic and Mezcala by emailing chapalabirders.org 2-days ahead.

On Tuesday March 14, we will meet at 8.15 am at El Bajio on the west side of Ajijic. We will walk down the lane to the lake, expecting to see a good variety of birds in the tall trees and fields. At about 10.00 am we will head to Fonda Dona Lola for breakfast and review the bird list.
How to Get There: From Ajijic go about 2 mi. (3 km) west from the light at Colon, turn downhill for El Bajio (across from the west end of the large un-finished retirement community of El Pueblito) and park immediately on the lateral road parallel to the carretera.

On Thursday March 23, we will meet at 8.00 am at the "Sculpture" (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south-east corner, opposite Restaurant Pranzo), departing immediately for Villa Corona on Lake Atotonilco (60 minutes drive). We expect to see various shore birds such as White-faced Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill. Bring your own mid-morning refreshments. There will be a break for snacking at 11.00 am. We will be back in Ajijic by about 1.30 pm. You must reserve - email John at least 2 days ahead of time, saying if you can bring a vehicle and can take others, or whether you are looking for a ride. Remember, we do not always have enough vehicles.

On Wednesday March 29, we will meet at 8.00 am at the "Sculpture" (at the only traffic light in La Floresta, south-east corner, near Restaurant Pranzo), leaving immediately for the Rosa Amarilla Loop (60 minutes drive). Expect to see a variety of grassland birds and possibly a White-tailed Hawk. Bring refreshments for the morning and sandwiches for the 12.30 lunch stop. We will be back about 3.00 pm. You must reserve - email John at chapalabirders@yahoo.com at least 2 days ahead indicating if you can bring a vehicle and can take others, or you would like to be a passenger. (We do not always have enough cars.)
Birdwalk & Trip Reports
On February 9, we had 19 birders out on the Two Dams Road. At the first stop we found two low bushes to which a dozen species of small birds came to display for us looking like Christmas tree decorations. We manage to identify 63 species including Lucy's Warbler, Ruddy Duck, Lesser Goldfinch and five species of herons (Great Blue, Little Blue, Green, Tricolored, and Black-crowned Night).

On February 17, we filled three cars on the trip to the Sierra de Tapalpa. We saw 28 species which is good, but the number of birds in the bushes was disappointing. We did see Common Raven, Gray-silky Flycatcher, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Striped Sparrow, Acorn Woodpecker and an unexpected Spotted Towhee.

On February 21, we went to 'Parque de la Chistiania' in Chapala. It was the morning of the last day of 'Carnaval' in Chapala and the park was full of concert stands, one with a 5-storey high sound system. Despite that, the birds were out and we managed a 60-species count, including Western Tanager, Fulvous Whistllig Duck, Plumbeous Vireo, Belted Kingfisher, Greater Yellowlegs and Black-necked Stilt.
Monthly Sightings List
Here are the 188 species sighted around Lake Chapala in February:

Ani, groove-billed
Avocet, American
Becard, rose-throated (Ch)
Bittern, least (Rp)
Blackbird, yellow-headed
Brushfinch, rufous-capped (Ct)
Bufflehead (Sn)
Bunting, indigo
Bunting, lazuli (Ct)
Bunting, painted (Sc)
Bunting, varied
Bushtit
Caracara, crested
Chat, yellow-breasted (Ch)
Coot, American
Cormorant, neotropic
Cowbird, bronzed
Cowbird, brown-headed
Cuckoo, squirrel (Ct)
Dove, common ground (Jo)
Dove, Eurasian collared
Dove, Inca
Dove, white-tipped
Dove, white-winged
Dowitcher, long-billed
Duck, fulvous whistling
Duck, Mexican
Duck, ring-necked (Sn)
Duck, ruddy
Egret, cattle
Egret, great
Egret, snowy
Elaenia, greenish (Sa)
Finch, house
Flycatcher, ash-throated (Rp)
Flycatcher, buff-breasted (Sa)
Flycatcher, cordilleran
Flycatcher, dusky (Ct,Tr)
Flycatcher, dusky-capped
Flycatcher, gray silky
Flycatcher, Hammond's (Tr)
Flycatcher, Nutting's (Ch)
Flycatcher, social
Flycatcher, vermilion
Gadwall
Gallinule, common
Gnatcatcher, blue-gray
Goldfinch, lesser
Grackle, great-tailed
Grebe, Clark's
Grebe, least
Grebe, pied-billed
Grosbeak, black-headed
Grosbeak, blue
Gull, laughing (Jo)
Gull, ring-billed
Harrier, northern (Ct)
Hawk, Cooper's (Ct)
Hawk, gray (Ch,Sc)
Hawk, red-tailed
Hawk, sharp-shinned (Ps)
Hawk, white-tailed (Jo)
Hawk, zone-tailed (Jo)
Heron, black-crowned night
Heron, great blue
Heron, green
Heron, little blue
Heron, tri-colored
Hummingbird, black-chinned (Sa)
Hummingbird, broad-billed
Hummingbird, violet-crowned
Hummingbird, white-eared
Ibis, white-faced
Jacana, northern
Kestrel, American
Killdeer
Kingbird, Cassin's
Kingbird, thick-billed
Kingbird, tropical
Kingbird, western
Kingfisher, belted
Kinglet, ruby-crowned (Ct)
Kiskadee, great
Kite, white-tailed (Ps)
Mockingbird, blue
Mockingbird, northern (Rp)
Motmot, russet-crowned
Nighthawk, lesser (Ch)
Nightjar, buff-collared
Oriole, black-backed
Oriole, Bullock's
Oriole, hooded
Oriole, orchard
Oriole, streak-backed
Osprey (Rp)
Owl, barn (Rp)
Owl, elf (Tr)
Owl, ferruginous pygmy (Ct)
Owl, great horned (Tr)
Owl, mottled (Tr)
Owl, mountain pygmy (Tr)
Parakeet, monk
Parrot, red-lored
Pelican, American white
Pewee, greater
Pigeon, rock
Rail, Aztec (Rp)
Raven, common
Redstart, American (Ps)
Redstart, painted (Sa)
Robin, rufous-backed
Sandpiper, least
Sandpiper, spotted
Scaup, lesser (Sn)
Seedeater, cinnamon-rumped
Shoveler, northern
Shrike, loggerhead
Snipe, Wilson's
Solitaire, brown-backed (Ct)
Sparrow, clay-colored
Sparrow, house
Sparrow, lark
Sparrow, Lincoln's
Sparrow, rusty-crowned ground
Sparrow, savannah
Sparrow, stripe-headed
Sparrow, white-crowned (Jo)
Stilt, black-necked
Swallow, barn
Swallow, northern rough-winged
Swallow, tree (Ch)
Tanager, hepatic (Ch)
Tanager, summer
Tanager, western
Teal, blue-winged
Teal, cinnamon
Teal, green-winged
Tern, Caspian
Tern, Forster's
Tern, Royal
Thrasher, curve-billed
Thrush, hermit
Thrush, orange-billed nightingale
Thrush, White-throated
Towhee, canyon
Tyrannulet, northern beardless
Vireo, Bell's
Vireo, black capped
Vireo, golden
Vireo, Hutton's
Vireo, plumbeous
Vireo, warbling
Vulture, black
Vulture, turkey
Warbler, black and white
Warbler, black-throated gray
Warbler, Grace's
Warbler, hermit
Warbler, Lucy's
Warbler, MacGillivray's
Warbler, Nashville
Warbler, orange-crowned
Warbler, red-faced
Warbler, rufous-capped
Warbler, Townsend's
Warbler, Virginia's
Warbler, Wilson's
Warbler, yellow
Warbler, yellow-rumped
Waterthrush, northern
Whip-poor-will, Mexican
Wigeon, American
Willet
Woodcreeper, white striped
Woodpecker, acorn
Woodpecker, golden-fronted
Woodpecker, ladder-backed
Wren, Bewick's
Wren, canyon
Wren, happy
Wren, house
Wren, marsh
Wren, Sinaloa
Wren, spotted
Yellowlegs, greater
Yellowthroat, common
Yellowthroat, gray-crowned
Sighting Location codes:

Ac - Ajijic: La Cristina & El Bajio
At - Trails above Ajijic
Av - Ajijic village
Ca - Lake Cajititlan & marsh
Ch - Chapala
Ct - Caracol Trail & Int'l School
Cv - Cerro Viejo
Dm - Dike: Jamay to Malteraña
Dp - Dike: Maltaraña to La Palma
Hv - Hidden Valley oak forest
Ja - Jamay
La - La Cañada & Hidden Valley
Jo - Jocotepec
Ld - Lerma & Duero rivers
Mz - Mezcala
Oc - Ocotlan
Pe - Petatan area
Ps - Pumping Station & Santa Cruz
Pt - San Pedro Tesistan area
Pz - San Pedro Itzican area
Ra - Rosa Amarilla loop
Rc - Santa Rosa & Carnero dam
Rp - Riberas del Pilar & canyon
Sa - San Antonio & Allen Lloyd Trail
Sc - San Juan Cosala
Sn - San Nicholas & Golf Club
Tz - Tizapan canyon
Te - San Juan Tecomatlan & Mezcala
Tr - Potrerillos & Las Trojes & Chupinaya
Tu - Tuxcueca & San Luis Soyatlan
Xt - Ixtlahuacan & Las Campanillas



What is the "Lake Chapala Area"?
We define it as the whole area of the lake plus all land within 15km (or 7 miles) of the edge of the lake.
Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by John and Rosemary Keeling.

Illustrated color folders showing our common birds are once again available for $200 pesos at Diane Pearl's Gallery, 11 am to 4 pm, Santa Margarita #23, at the east end of Riberas del Pilar. Also available from John Keeling.

We like to hear of bird sightings at: chapalabirders@yahoo.com.

Check our website: ChapalaBirders.org
There you will find our newsletters, illustrations of our birds and advice on buying binoculars, books and birding apps.